Mumbai, May 5
Mumbai Indians snapped Chennai Super Kings's seven-match winning streak with a crushing 60-run victory in a lop-sided league match of domestic T20 championship.

Electing to bat, Mumbai scored 139 for five with captain Rohit Sharma top-scoring with a 30-ball 39 not out and then shot out Chennai for just 79 in 15.2 overs at Wankhede Stadium to halt the visiting team's dream run in the tournament. Pragyan Ojha (3/11) and Mitchell Johnson (3/27) shared six wickets among them while Lasith Malinga grabbed two wickets for just six runs. Harbhajan Singh and IPL debutant Pawan Suyal chipped in with a wicket each to help Mumbai put brakes on Chennai juggernaut in IPL 6.

Chennai's 79 all out today turned out to be the lowest total posted by them in IPL, their previous lowest being 109 against Rajasthan Royals in 2008 in Jaipur. This was also the lowest total by any team this IPL season, beating Delhi Daredevils' 80 all out against Sunrisers Hyderabad yesterday.

Today's loss was the heaviest defeat for Chennai in the IPL in terms of runs.

Till this match, Chennai looked the most formidable and consistent team but they were never in the run chase today as they suffered a top-order batting collapse with half their side in dressing room for just 34 runs in the seventh over.

They would have been in an even worse situation had Kieron Pollard not dropped Michael Hussey on 22. — PTI

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians

Smith c & b Bravo 22

Tendulkar lbw b Jadeja 15

Karthik c Raina b Jadeja 23

Pollard c Raina b Jadeja 1

Sharma not out 39

Rayudu b Ashwin 10

Harbhajan not out 25

Extras: 4

Total (5 wkts; 20 ovs) 139

Fall of wickets: 1/40 2/42 3/45 4/66 5/82

Bowling

Jadeja 4-0-29-3

Mohit 4-0-20-0

Morris 3-0-14-0

Bravo 3-0-19-1

Laughlin 4-0-46-0

Ashwin 2-0-11-1

Chennai Super Kings

Hussey c Smith b Ojha 22

Vijay b Johnson 2

Raina c Pollard b Johnson 0

Badrinath lbw b Johnson 0

Bravo c Rayudu b Suyal 9

Ashwin b H Singh 2

Dhoni c Pollard b Ojha 10

Jadeja c Rayudu b Ojha 20

Morris b Malinga 1

Sharma c Suyal b Malinga 0

Laughlin not out 4

Extras: 9

Total (all out;15.2 ovs) 79

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-9, 4-18, 5-34, 6-40, 7-52, 8-54, 9-54

Bowling

Johnson 3-0-27-3

Suyal 3-0-21-1

Harbhajan 4-0-13-1

Malinga 3-0-6-2

Ojha 2.2-0-11-3

Jaipur, May 5
Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Rahul Dravid (58) led Rajasthan Royals to a five-wicket victory over Pune Warriors in the domestic T20 league match on Sunday.

Stuart Binny produced a 13-ball 32 to finish the chase after an explosive start by the openers.

Earlier, led by openers Robin Uthappa (54) and Aaron Finch (45), Pune Warriors posted a challenging total of 178/4.

The openers laid a solid foundation which was duly cashed by Mitchell Marsh (35 off 21 balls) and Angelo Mathews (18 off 15 balls) to help the team have a realistic shot over their fancied rivals.

Brief Scores: Pune Warriors: 178/4 in 20 overs (Robin Uthappa 54, Aaron Finch 45; James Faulkner 1/35, Sidharth Trivedi 1/33) Rajasthan Royals: 182/5 in 19.5 overs (Rahane 67, Dravid 58; Parnell 3/27). — TNS

Mumbai, May 5
It was a ‘hat-trick’ which big-bodied West Indian Kieron Pollard would like to forget in a hurry as he dropped three consecutive catches during an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

Although, it is not confirmed but perhaps this was first ever instance when a fielder dropped three catches of successive deliveries of the same batsman and that too in the first over of the innings.

Stationed at point, Pollard dropped Michael Hussey thrice off paceman Mitchell Johnson and all the three shots were similar - cut uppishly, going straight to the fielder. The first one was a hard slash but the second and third one came straight at him and he failed to pouch onto them. He left the field after dropping the third catch as the ball also hit him in the cheekbone. For team which was defending a small total of 139 against a formidable opponent, it was criminal to drop a player of Hussey calibre on three occasions.

However, he returned and made some redemption by taking a well-judged diving catch at the same point position to see the back of in-form Suresh Raina. Mumbai Indians skipper kept his faith in his fielder and the West Indian responded well. Hussey's drop chance also did not cost Mumbai much as the Australia could score just 22. Later on, Pollard also took catch of Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at long-off. Interestingly, Pollard had taken a stunning catch standing at deep mid-wicket boundary to dismiss Dhoni during first edition. The incident has happened when one of Pollard's catches taken earlier in the tournament is being considered one of the best in IPL history.

An air-borne Pollard took a stunning one-handed catch at boundary ropes to remove Shaun Marsh in a match versus Kings XI Punjab.

Pollard could be eventually forgiven for his mistakes as MI stopped the Chennai juggernaut and came out victorious in the match by 60 runs. — PTI

New Delhi, May 5
Indian paddlers had a rather comfortable outing on day one of the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship when the men and wome teams sailed into the second stage at the Thyagraj Stadium here today.

The Indian men, powered by top gun Achanta Sharath Kamal, walloped Australia 3-1 in the morning session and carried on their fine form in the afternoon session as well to down South Africa 3-0. The women made short work of Sri Lanka and Canada to top the group.

The only aberration for the Indian men was the defeat of Anthony Amalraj at the hands of Australian David Powell 7-11, 8-11, 8-11 in less than 20 minutes, though he learned from his mistakes to drub South African Lume Abrahams 9-11, 10-12, 5-11 later in the day. However, the solid showing of Sharath Kamal helped India cruise on a winning mode as his victories against Kane Townsend and Powell in straight sets came as a great comforting factor. And Soumyajit Ghosh rushed past Kane’s brother Wade with a clean 3-0 verdict as India made light of the Australian challenge.

India did not have to break too many sweats to get past South Africa as Sharath yet again gave a winning start when he pounded Kurt Lingeveldt in straight sets to win 3-0. And Amalraj consolidated the lead with a straight sets win over Luke Abrahams while Soumyajit completed the clean sweep, defeating Theo Cogill 3-0.

In the women’s section, Mouma Das, ranked 234 in the world, took time to warm up as she dropped the first game 13-15 to Sri Lanka’s Ishara Madurangi, before getting into her groove. But once she got a feel of the ambience, she did not look back, taking the next three games rather easily to put India one match ahead.

Reigning national champion and world No. 275 K Shamini had a smooth sailing over her Lankan opponent Nuwani Vithanage, barring an extended game, though she held her ground to wrap up the match in straight games at 11-7, 14-12, 11-8. In the last match, Neha Aggarwal (428) of Delhi, making her Commonwealth debut, crushed Ridhmi Karadanaarachchi 11-4, 11-6, 11-5.

The hosts also made a rousing start against Canada when K Shamini and Mouma Das defeated Yuen Sara and Shirley Fu respectively to put India on top of the group, as they got a walkover in the final fixture when Canada’s Mo Zhang, ranked 170, did not turn up for the Championships, due to visa problems. Shamini was methodical while demolishing Sara 11-5, 11-5, 11-7. Though Mouma lost the a game to Fu after winning the first one, the Indian held the whip to win the next two games to give India a winning 2-0 lead. 

London, May 5
New season starts amid flurry of failed tests - notably in Russia, who will host World Championships

The international outdoor athletics season kicks off in Doha on Friday with the first Diamond League meeting of 2013. But a litany of failed drugs tests has acted as an unwanted precursor, with Russia's Yelena Arzhakova and Darya Pischalnikova the most recent high-profile athletes to be handed bans.

On Friday, Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin, the women's 1500m Olympic champion, was charged with a doping offence and faces a lifetime ban. She was banned in 2004 for failing a drugs test.

It led the British 800m runner Lynsey Sharp to suggest that doping in athletics was “a huge problem”, adding: “There's a lot of people being caught but it's nothing compared to the amount of people getting away with it." There are currently 240 men and women who are banned from athletics, from 52 countries and, as our world map shows, there are some countries where bans are markedly more common than others.

Spotlight on the top five

India: 51 banned athletes

There is major concern that using prohibited substances in athletics is widespread at every level after 11 athletes were caught doping at the 2012 National Schools Championships.

India is far from an athletics powerhouse, but claimed 4 x 400m relay gold when Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Since then, three of that winning quartet have failed drugs tests.

Indian athletes have tried to argue against their bans, claiming they had unknowingly taken banned substances at the behest of their coaches. The Indian sports lawyer Lovely Dasgupta warned: “They don't know what they are eating or what they're just consuming. They just know the coaches have given them something and, if they don't listen to their coaches, somebody else will take their place in the team.”

Russia: 38 banned

Officials from the host of this year's World Championships have stepped up their fight against doping, which has led to a virtual tsunami of failed tests.

Valentin Balakhnichyov, the president of the Russian athletics federation (VFLA), warned last month: "Don't be surprised if you hear about a few more suspensions coming our way," before adding: "It's simple arithmetic: the more you test, the more people are likely to be caught. "Together with the Russian anti-doping agency [Rusada], we do more drugs tests than any other country in the world. Last year we conducted 3,500 tests and this year we plan to do over 4,000 tests in and out of competition."

The level of failed doping tests led the UK Athletics head coach, Peter Eriksson, to call for "greater investigation" into the sport in Russia, while Britain's former long-jumper Jade Johnson said Moscow "did not deserve" to host the World Championships.

Kenya: 13 banned

John Fahey, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), said there was a "cloud hanging over them". He said: "For some time, we have been very concerned about the accusations of doping there," going on to describe Kenya as "a location of choice for dopers".

There is no Kenyan anti-doping agency and just one laboratory for that purpose in the whole of the continent - based in South Africa.

However, David Okeyo, the secretary-general of Athletics Kenya, insisted the problem was not widespread. "As far as the cases we've come across are concerned, 90 per cent are the drugs that somebody is taking maybe to treat asthma," he said.

United States: 12 banned

The banned athletes in the US range from the sprinter Shawn Crawford, who was recently suspended for not complying with out-of-competition testing, to a 64-year-old Masters runner, Roger Wenzel, who tested positive for modafinil, a prohibited stimulant. Last year, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) tested 488 athletes a total of 1,542 times. The unlikeliest subject was a relatively unknown long-distance runner, Dathan Ritzenhein, who was tested 21 times during 2012.

Usada were also responsible for some of the positive tests of Kenya's athletes after being asked to administer the tests at last year's Olympic trials in Eugene.

Great Britain: 4 banned

Britain, 14th equal of 52 countries in which athletes are banned, is by no means exempt in terms of doping in athletics. Perhaps the most high-profile case is that of shot-putter Carl Fletcher, who in 2011 was handed a 4-yr suspension and sentenced to 9 mnths. — The Independent

Kolkata, May 5
Football in West Bengal may not be the same again in the aftermath of the Saradha chit fund scam which has left thousands of investors in disrray and could mean a drying up of funds for clubs.

Given the current scenario, the biggest loser would be I-League team United SC.

Having spent heavily on I-League leading scorer Ranty Martins and Costa Rican World Cupper Carlos Hernandez with a Rs 13 crore budget last season, United SC are unsure about their existence with the fate of their title sponsors, Prayag, hanging in the balance. "Let us first see whether we're able to survive or not. As of now, Prayag has stuck to its commitment, but we don't know what will happen in the transfer season," United director Nabab Bhattacharya told PTI.

The big-spending United SC did live up to expectations winning their maiden IFA Shield this season. The purple brigade, who were placed fourth, also have a realistic chance of finishing in top three of the I-League.

Bhattacharya said their top players Ranty and Hernandez are already getting big offers and a bigger budget is required to retain them. "They are getting huge offers. We had a budget of about Rs 13 crore last season but it will have to go up now. But where are the takers for Indian football? "Mohun Bagan and East Bengal with UB Group behind them will have no problem but it's small teams like us who will have to bear the brunt," he said. East Bengal which has association with Rose Valley, a company which calls itself a multi-business conglomerate, however, also expressed concern about retaining the club's top recruits.

"We are helpless, where is the money? Not sure how to rope in a foreign player now." Debashish Dutta of Mohun Bagan said the chitfund bust has been a big shock for football. "Small clubs will suffer more. Big clubs like us will also suffer because our budgets will definitely come down.” There are 325 clubs in West Bengal registered with the Indian Football Association.

The AIFF has issued a statement asking new I-League teams to verify the background and track record of a prospective sponsor before signing a deal. — PTI

Barcelona, May 5
Cristiano Ronaldo headed in two goals to help Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4-3 in the Spanish league on Saturday, but the entertaining win was overshadowed by growing dissatisfaction with coach Jose Mourinho for criticizing the club.

Madrid's ninth straight home win in league play denied Barcelona the chance to clinch the league title this weekend. Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead to eight points, meaning the Catalan side can't seal the domestic title by beating Real Betis on Sunday with four rounds still remaining.

Elsewhere, third-place Atletico Madrid booked its spot in next season's Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Deportivo La Coruna.

Valencia eased to a 4-0 win over nine-man Osasuna to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish, while Malaga lost 1-0 at Granada to slip three points behind Valencia in sixth place.

Sections of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd jeered Mourinho's name when it was announced before the match, scolding the manager for his recent comments that he may be leaving the club and a country where he doesn't feel "loved."

Mourinho used his team's exit from the Champions League on Tuesday as an opportunity to link his immediate future to a return to England. He repeated on Friday that he didn't know if he would stay at Madrid next season, while also taking another veiled shot at benched Spain international Iker Casillas by saying his only mistake was not having brought in new goalkeeper Diego Lopez before this winter.

That latest dig at Madrid's captain even made some of Mourinho's most trusted players bristle.

"You have to have a little more respect for Iker," said Madrid defender Pepe. "The coach's comments were not the most appropriate. Iker is an institution in his club and in Spain. He has to know that we and the fans are with him."

Club spokesman Emilio Butragueno refused to talk about Mourinho.

Mourinho, who is under contract with Madrid until the summer of 2016, appears to running out of allies at the club. He didn't speak after the match, sending assistant Aitor Karanka in his place.

Karanka supported his boss, saying that "no player has been disrespected," while accepting the ire of Madrid's fans for what they widely perceive as a snub by Mourinho.

Hurt feelings aside, Valladolid went ahead in the eighth minute when forward Oscar Gonzalez picked off a pass and slotted the ball under Lopez.

Valladolid goalie Jaime Jimenez kept Madrid at bay until Angel Di Maria cut back and unleashed a left-footed strike that Valladolid defender Marc Valiente deflected into his own net in the 26th.

The score even, Madrid pressed the visitors into their area and Ronaldo hit in the 32nd from a cross by Di Maria, deftly flicking the ball under Jimenez.

But just when Madrid looked set to romp, Valladolid leveled at 2-2 when Omar Ramos placed a perfectly weighted pass behind Pepe at the far post for Javi Guerra to tap in.

After Ronaldo rattled the goalframe with a free kick, Kaka restored Madrid's advantage four minutes after halftime.

Ronaldo gave Madrid the cushion it needed in the 70th. The Portugal forward rose up to meet a Mesut Ozil corner kick and drive it into the far corner, taking his league goal haul to 33 this season, second only to Barcelona's Lionel Messi with 44. Valladolid, however, wasn't done and added some drama to the final moments when midfielder Lluis Sastre blasted in a beautiful volley from outside the area three minutes from time. At Mestalla Stadium, Roberto Soldado opened for Valencia with his 19th goal of the season. Ricardo Costa, Ever Banega, and Jonas all added goals as the hosts rolled over Osasuna. Valencia closed to within two points of fourth-place Real Sociedad- currently in control of the last Champions League berth- before it visits Getafe on Monday. Osasuna is two points above the relegation.

Dortmund, Bayern Munich produce pre-final fireworks

DORTMUND: Tempers flared as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich drew 1-1 on Saturday in a Bundesliga match which was anything but a friendly warm-up for the Champions League final between the two sides in three weeks time.

Bayern, who had won their last 14 Bundesliga matches, had five players booked and fullback Rafinha sent off in a surprisingly feisty encounter which saw their goalkeeper Manuel Neuer save a Robert Lewandowski penalty. Dortmund went ahead in the eleventh minute when Kevin Grosskreutz volleyed in Blaszczykowski's cross at the far post. Mario Gomez headed Bayern level on 23 minutes when he headed in unmarked at the far post from Rafinha's cross. With Bayern already having won the title and Dortmund guaranteed a Champions League place next season, there had been fears that the match would be a damp squib as the teams spared themselves for Wembley.

Arsenal defeat QPR 1-0

LONDON: Theo Walcott scored the quickest Premier League goal of the season as Arsenal beat Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Saturday to provisionally move third. Walcott put the Gunners ahead with a shot from inside the area after only 20 seconds in the London derby at Loftus Road. Arsenal is two points ahead of both Chelsea and Tottenham In the race for Champions League spots. It has played two games more than Chelsea — which faces champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday — and one more than Spurs.Tottenham beat Southampton 1-0.

Everton stay on top of Liverpool

LONDON: Everton remain on course to finish above Liverpool for the second season in a row after holding their city rivals to a 0-0 draw in a scrappy Merseyside derby at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool's best chance saw a goal-bound effort from man-of-the-match Steven Gerrard cleared by Everton defender Sylvain Distin. — Agencies

Jakarta, May 5
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger sealed a dramatic win at the Indonesian Masters with a five-under-par 67 to defeat Ernie Els of South Africa by one shot on Sunday.

Wiesberger won his second title in Asia, courtesy some exquisite ball striking as he totalled 15-under-par 273 at the $750,000 Asian Tour event staged at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Els, the reigning Open Championship winner, settled for second after carding 68 while overnight leader Daisuke Kataoka of Japan claimed third with a round of 70 to finish on 275. Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand was further three shots back in fourth after registering 69.

Wiesberger credited the victory to his acute iron play and dedicated the win to his grandfather, who passed away a year ago. He made the turn in 34 but tightened his grip with an eagle three on the 12th hole.

"It was good to hole the eagle and it was nice that Ernie (also eagled the same hole) stayed in touch. He wouldn't let go and that's why he is such a great champion. It was a good time to do that and it got my round going," he said. World No.24 Els was one-over after five holes but put on a battling display with birdies on six and nine followed by an eagle three on 12 which he putted from 30 feet from the fringe. He birdied the last to finish sole second.

Kataoka felt nervous on the first tee but managed to pull-off his best performance since turning professional in 2007.

Las Vegas, May 5
Floyd Mayweather showed little sign of ring-rust after a year out of the sport as he used sublime defense and a steady parade of right hands to dominate fellow American Robert Guerrero and retain his WBC welterweight championship on Saturday.

One day short of 12 months since his last bout, Mayweather, who also spent two months in jail in 2012 for a domestic abuse offence, landed an astonishing 60 percent of his power punches en route to a unanimous 12-round decision.

All three judges scored the fight 117-111 in favour of the undefeated Mayweather, who admitted that a damaged hand had prevented him from ending the fight early.

"I really was looking for a knockout, but I hurt my right hand," he revealed. "After that, I just had to box smart. Robert Guerrero was a tough warrior. He was trying to press the attack. But I felt comfortable in the ring and my defense was on point." After an opening two rounds in which the southpaw Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KOs) had some success, Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) seemed to slip into his comfort zone from the third.

Although the challenger's game plan seemed to be to back Mayweather to the ropes with his jab and then land punches to the body, the champion repeatedly slipped under his opponent's left, landed one or more right hands and moved out of danger.

After being hit with several rights in the third, Guerrero appeared more hesitant to commit to his attack, giving Mayweather yet more time to slip in and out of range and land his key punches. By the eighth round, Mayweather was stepping up his assault, landing right hands with greater force and mixing in left hooks as he opened up a cut over a clearly hurt Guerrero's left eye. — Reuters 

Bulawayo, May 5
Sean Williams's career-best effort guided the Zimbabwe chase to a successful finish against Bangladesh, after Vusi Sibanda laid the foundation. The home side levelled the series 1-1, making the third and final match of the series the decider.

The six-wicket win also broke a seven-match losing streak in ODIs, Zimbabwe having won their last game in October 2011, coincidentally at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Bangladesh had been struggling at 185 for 7 in the 44th over but an unexpected hitting spree from left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, steered Bangladesh past 200 and then, unbelievably, past 250. He slammed five sixes in his maiden ODI fifty, which came off just 21 balls to equal the Bangladesh record for the quickest half-century.

That left Zimbabwe needing to dig deep but Williams was up to the challenge. He struck his eleventh half-century to finish unbeaten on 77 off 74 balls as Zimbabwe overhauled a fairly stiff target. — Agencies

Brief scores

Bangladesh: 252/9 in 50 overs (Abdur Razzak 53 not out, Nasir Hossain 36; Chigumbura 3/39, Chatara 2/33) Zimbabwe: 253/4 in 47.5 overs (Williams 78 not out, Sibanda 49; Islam 2/51) 

Oeiras, Portugal, may 5
Spain's David Ferrer will play his 37th final when he and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka line up Sunday for the clay title at the Portugal Open.

The top seed dispatched Italian Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-4 in 70 minutes while Wawrinka ended the run of Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno-Busta as the second seed posted a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win in a match marred by complaints about on-court coaching from the Spaniard's box.

The women's title was settled when Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5, 6-2 to claim her first trophy on clay. The third seed, coached by former Swiss great Martina Hingis, earned the fifth title of her career while leaving her opponent winless from five finals.

Ferrer was the picture of efficiency in his defeat of Seppi, with the Spaniard now in the hunt for his 21st career trophy. "It's good to get to the final here, I've always dreamed of winning this title, there is so much history at this tournament," said Ferrer, who leads the ATP this season with match wins on 28 with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal trailing on 26.

Ferrer stands 5-0 over Seppi, who didn't hold his serve until the second set.The Spaniard has won two titles already this season in New Zealand and Argentina.

Wawrinka, ranked 16th, complained to the chair umpire near the end of his second set against Carreno-Busta over what he said was coaching of his 228th-ranked, 21-year-old opponent."It was not the first time, it happened for him against (Fabio) Fognini (quarter-finals).

"He and his coach were speaking a lot during the match. "That's not what it should be like, it's not in the rules. That's why I spoke to the chair."

Carreno-Busta has had a solid run on the lower-level Futures and Challenger circuits and has won an amazing 50 matches already this season. He was playing his first semi-final at the ATP level at his fourth tour-level event. Pavlyuchenkova has been working with Hingis officially for just a few weeks and the game style and fighting determination of Switzerland's five-time Grand Slam champion may be rubbing off on the 21-year-old right-hander.

"She was really happy with the win," said Pavlyuchenkova of her mentor's first win as a coach. The winner was less than thrilled with a slow start to her own game. "I was pissed with the way I started. But then I relaxed, and started waiting for my chances after she had pinned me to the baseline. "I was trying to dictate and wait for the right moment. It worked at the end."

Pavlyuchenkova was flying straight to Spain later Saturday for a first-round start at the Madrid Masters against world number three Victoria Azarenka, who has not played for more than a month due to injury and has yet to step on to clay.

"It's a really tough draw, but for both of us. She's not played for a while and I already have some events on clay. "I can't say what will happen but I'll try my best. I won't be scared, that's for sure. I'll just go out there and try to make her play."

New Delhi, May 5
India opened their medal account in the Junior World Weightlifting Championships with Saikhom Mirabai Chanu bagging three bronze in the women's 48kg category on the opening day of the competition in Lima, Peru on Sunday.

Mirabai won a bronze each in snatch (72kg) and clean and jerk (93kg) and total lift (165kg) to begin India's campaign on a positive note.

All the three gold medals in the event went to Chinese lifter Guan Chunyin participating in her first international competition. She lifted a total of 182kg. Piron Beatriz Elizabeth of Dominica won all the three silver medals with a total lift of 172kg.

In men's 56kg, India's Apurba Chetia missed out on medals by a whisker as he finished fourth in each of snatch (102kg), clean and jerk (127kg) and total lift (229kg). — PTI

BRIEFLY

Chess World C’ship in Chennai
Viswanathan Anand will defend his World Chess Championship title against world number one Magnus Carlsen in his home city as FIDE on Sunday chose Chennai as the venue for the match. Even as it has been reported that Carlsen was not keen to play in Chennai and instead preferred Paris as the venue, the FIDE Presidential Board confirmed Chennai as the venue during a meeting at Baku, Azerbaijan.The match will be played from November 6 to 26. — PTI

Hyderabad
We might go as far as winning the IPL: Sammy: Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Darren Sammy has his fingers crossed as far as winning the title is concerned, but expressed confidence of making the play-offs."I feel we will make it to the Play-Offs. That is our goal at the moment and who knows we might go as far as winning the IPL. We will take one game at a time and improve on our consistency," Sammy said. Asked about his latest celebration style, Sammy said it was his newborn daughter who inspired him to suck on the pacifier after taking a wicket or reaching a landmark. "I just had a baby girl back home and I was in my room thinking about how I would celebrate. I saw my baby girl suck on the pacifier and then I said to myself, 'Oh, I will get my pacifier," he said.

Hyderabad
I want to be captain's go-to bowler: Irfan: Irfan Pathan says he would aim to be his captain's "go-to bowler" in tough situations. "...bowling in the right areas is of prime concern. That will be my focus in the games to come. I also want to take up more and more responsibility. I want to bowl at a lot of tough situations and I want to make sure that I am the go-to bowler for the captain," Pathan said. Pathan said he is fit after recovering from a knee injury.

New Delhi
Dhoni keeps focus by humming songs: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mind wanders in several directions while he is batting but he manages to keep the focus by humming songs even when the bowler is running in from the other end. This and several other nuggets about top Indian cricketers such as Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman find a mention in a new book -- "Think Like a Champion"-- written by Rudi Webster, a former West Indian team manager who worked with the Indian team as a psychologist in 2006-07. "When I am batting, I focus on the ball. Sometimes my mind wanders off to places where it is not supposed to be but as soon as I notice it bring it back to the ball. Singing helps me to stay focussed," Dhoni is quoted as saying in the book.

Mohali
It's going to be tough against Punjab: Vettori: Sitting pretty at the second position in the points table, RCB are not facing an intimidating rival but they are not taking KXIP lightly either tomorrow. In contrasting campaigns, Punjab have managed to win just four out of their 10 games so far while RCB have seven wins in 11 games. I think Mohali is a strong side in these conditions. They are playing some good right now.” — PTI